Lost In Tranquility
by A Lucky Soldier
Summary: Though she had seen it many times, she had never understood it. Though she sees it every day, it remains a mystery to her. Lost in her own narrow view of the world, a normal boy was able to show her something no one else was able to.
1. Chapter 1

Front Note:

Oh boy, it's been a long time, but I finally managed to get through my paranoia and finish this work. I'm not good with slice-of-life stuff, so it was really hard for me to find a direction to write in. Anyways, here's the end result and hope you guys like it!

See end notes for more of my rant and future plans.

 **Lost In Tranquility** **\- Part One**

" _Weather is clear, sightlines visible up to 500 meters, structural integrity of the building is acceptable. No immediate signs of danger."_ Mukuro assessed as she looked out the window. She wasn't paying too much attention in class, since it's covering a topic she already knew much about: The Battle of Thermopylae. It was history class, and the teacher was rambling about the heroic sacrifices of the Spartans and how they bought the rest of ancient Greece enough time to formulate a proper defense against the invading Persians. Although it ended as a defeat for the Spartans, it was still widely considered a military victory in the long run. Many years ago, this topic would've made Mukuro excited to learn about, but now, it was rather boring.

She returned her focus to face forward, appearing as if she's still paying attention. " _VIP is still secure, no immediate signs of potential danger, but…."_ She didn't have time to finish that thought, her instincts telling her something was wrong. Before she knew it, she shot her foot forward towards the chair in front of her, holding it up from collapsing. Makoto wobbled for a second before gripping the sides of his desk and standing up in a shocked manner.

"It just doesn't make sense does it?" Junko whispered from beside her. "Everything always seems fine but some force of nature always fucks something up leading to this."

"Is something wrong Naegi?" The teacher asked him, confused as to why he suddenly stood up in class.

"I…I thought my chair was going to collapse for a second…" Makoto replied, confused and embarrassed.

"It looks fine to me." The teacher said, crossing her arms and noticing that the chair was still up.

"Well that's because Mukuro here is holding it up with her foot!" Junko proudly blurted out, bringing Mukuro back to reality, and with her, the chair came crashing down. Makoto took a step back in shock, the teacher raised a brow and the rest of the class had a small laugh.

"I..I see. Well, this is a good stopping point for the class anyways. For next week, I'll expect all of you to have done your readings on the rest of the topic as well as the assigned homework. Also, get rid of that chair and get a new one." The teacher said as she began packing up her materials. Makoto turned a bit red from embarrassment as he finally absorbed what had happened in the last 20 seconds.

"Erm, thanks Ikusaba-san, I guess I owe you one again." He said, to which Mukuro shrugged.

"It's no problem, you're not that heavy anyways." She replied, causing Makoto to turn a bit red. He was fairly average, but a bit on the short side.

"Awww look at you, you made him embarrassed again!" Junko cried out, making Mukuro uncomfortable that it was her fault.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Mukuro stammered out. Having nothing else to say, she turned to the side and started packing up her stuff.

"H-Hey, it's not your fault!" Makoto said, shooting a look at Junko who was holding back a giggle. "I-It's a natural reaction, no one's at fault here."

"O-Of course." Mukuro said, putting the last of her books into her bag.

"C'mon sis, you've gotta learn when I'm messing with ya and when I'm not. Jeez, you're easier to play with than a child." Junko huffed.

"Hey now, she's getting better at it right? That's all that matters." Sayaka said, chiming in from the side. Mukuro turned to face the idol, unsure of how to respond. She didn't exactly welcome her interruption, but it didn't seem as if Sayaka had ill intentions either. The idol returned her indecision with a smile before turning back to Makoto. "You alright though? It seems like you had quite a scare."

"Well, I can't say it didn't get me, but I guess I can't help it." Makoto said. "It doesn't even make sense sometimes."

"Considering the streak you have, no argument there." Sayaka agreed with a smile. "But it is kind of funny sometimes. I mean, the chair could've collapsed at any moment but it decided to collapse when someone, had their eyes on you." She said, stressing out the word 'someone' while motioning her head over to the soldier.

Both Mukuro and Makoto immediately flushed red with embarrassment as they knew what she was implying at.

"W-What do you mean?"

"T-That was just a coincidence!"

Sayaka sighed. "You see? This is exactly what I'm talking about." She said, gesturing to their in-sync reactions which only furthered their embarrassment. "Well, I'm not going to stick around today, my group has some more practice today, so I'll be going now."

"A-Ah, you have quite the busy schedule don't you." Makoto said, understanding her title of an idol.

"Yup! Though I guess it can't be helped. That's just the way things are." Sayaka replied with a half-sigh. "Well, if there's time to hangout, I'll let you know."

"S-Sure. That sounds good. Good luck Maizono-san." Makoto said, watching her make her way to the door. Before she disappeared into the hallway however, she turned around with her arms behind her back and a smile on her face, the same smile he has been seeing all year round.

"Yeah, see you next week. And you two as well!" Sayaka said, shooting a wink towards Makoto before walking off. Mukuro twitched at the gesture with an unknown feeling within her. She was never one to rouse at the taunts of others as it was a trait that was detrimental on the battlefield. But here, she was surprised to find herself agitated. Though it made her blood boil a little bit, Mukuro gave a small wave at the retreating figure of the idol before instinctively turning to Junko, a silent "what now?" gesture.

Junko returned her look with a shrug and a sigh. "Haaaaahhh… Why don't you help Naegi-kun here with his homework?" The sudden mention of his name had Makoto tense up in the middle of packing up his books.

"W-What? I'm fine! You don't need to!" Makoto said, fumbling with his pencil case.

"You're telling me you're fine with the notes you took? Man, I thought you were a honest guy too." Junko pointed out, leading to Mukuro standing up and peeking over Makoto's shoulder in curiosity.

Sure enough, his notes were incoherent. Though he managed to write down all of the major topics, he was missing several important details from each one. On top of that, judging by the way he worded his notes, he seemed to not understand a few other events and details leading up to today's lecture in history. Most importantly, he did not understand the importance of the entire battle. How could someone miss something as significant as that?

"Naegi-kun, those notes are barely adequate for studying." Mukuro pointed out with slight disappointment, causing Makoto to concede, slump onto his new chair with his face down on his note book.

"Ugh yeah. I'm going to need some help with this. Er.. maybe a lot of help. But if you're busy, I'd rather not take more of your time. You help me out enough already. I'm considering to study with Togami-kun this time but…..." He groaned, not really looking forward to the idea of studying with the heir while also regretting his last study session with Kiyotaka. Again, Mukuro looked over at Junko, silently asking for permission. She was promptly confused when Junko responded with a mischievous smile instead.

"You know, I'm sure Kirigiri-san will be more than willing to help you out if you ask her." Junko said, stressing the later half to drive the point home.

"T-That's true… I hope she's not bus—"

"That won't be necessary, I can help you with that." Mukuro firmly interrupted. Junko hid a smile as Makoto flinched from her unprecedented interruption. "With my extensive knowledge of past militaries, I should be more than qualified to help you with this subject." She continued.

"E-Eh but you already help me out enough! I would feel pretty bad if I were to ask you for even more help…." Makoto politely declined, waving his arms about.

"Don't worry, it doesn't bother me." Mukuro said with determination.

"Well, I-I still feel bad about it… and also, aren't you going out with Junko right now?" Makoto countered, causing Mukuro to once again, instinctively turn to her sister. He was not wrong as Junko did originally plan to take a walk around the shopping district again. But knowing Junko….

"I don't care what she does." Junko replied with a shrug. "I'll just grab Yasuke-Senpai and it'll be even better! Ohohoh just the thought of dragging him around and having him do my bidding is making me excited!" She squealed, wrapping her arms around herself as if she's hugging herself.

"Are you sure about that? I don't want to break up any plans you two had beforehand." Makoto replied, sending an apologetic look towards Junko.

"Plans?" Junko laughed, clutching her stomach. "Aw man, you wouldn't be able to foil any plan I come up with! Don't worry about it! I can make do without Mukuro for a day! It's not like this is the first time."

"I almost feel bad for Matsuda-Senpai…." Makoto thought out loud, trying to imagine the possible things Junko does to him. Mukuro wasn't fazed by the possibilities as she was completely used to seeing them together. Though their dynamics wouldn't be considered the most healthy as a couple, those two wouldn't be terrible enough to start some kind of trouble they can't fix themselves.

"You have other things to worry about." Mukuro said, nodding towards his books that were still spread out on his desk.

"Oh! Of course!" Makoto realized, and resumed packing up his mess of a table. Mukuro took the chance to turn to Junko, who gave her usual peace sign. Though neither of them spoke a single word, they were able to converse with just facial expressions.

" _So, do you like the new plan?"_

 _"Was that really necessary?"_

 _"Oh? Am I seeing a bit of jealousy there?"_

 _"You of all people should know that Kirigiri-san is actually busy since your scheme with Yasuke-Senpai yesterday."_

 _"Heeeyyy come on! You just needed a little push! You weren't going to offer help by yourself anyways. Also, in my defense, it would have been fine if he listened!"_

 _"I-I am capable of handling my own situations by myself."_

 _"Not social situations!"_

 _"….."_

 _"Aww relax! Things worked out anyways right? I get Yasuke-Senpai all to myself, and you get Naegi-kun all to your-"_

The silent conversation was abruptly ended when Mukuro broke eye contact and placed her hand on Makoto's shoulder.

"Let's get going. There's a lot to cover for this topic." Mukuro suddenly said. Though she's surprised she blurted that out, it also technically wasn't a lie, and Junko probably caught that as Mukuro felt Junko's aura change a bit behind her.

"Oh yeah! I'm just about done. Where do you want to go?" Makoto asked.

"Anywhere you can focus is fine." Mukuro replied, prompting Junko to laugh once again.

"Handle…your…..situations…." Junko sputtered out while laughing. When she calmed down, she stretched and got up, walking towards the door. "Welp, I'll catch you both later. I'm gonna go find Yasuke-Senpai."

"See you later Enoshima-san, try not to get in trouble this time?" Makoto said, waving good-bye with Mukuro.

"No promises!" Junko winked before disappearing from the door, leaving Makoto and Mukuro alone in the classroom. There was an awkward few seconds of silence as Makoto stuffed the last of his books into his bag and hoisted it onto his back while Mukuro watched him. These seconds however, lasted much longer than usual for Mukuro. " _What am I supposed to do now? Do people usually do something at this point?"_ She thought, completely unsure of how to handle this social situation. In the end, she decided to stay quiet, there was no reason for her to speak up right now.

"Alright, so… somewhere I can focus…. Oh! I nearly forgot I that I need to get some groceries for Komaru since my parents won't be home for a while. We can study at my place afterwards if that's alright with you."

"That should be fine." Mukuro automatically replied, though, she almost immediately regretted doing so. Was it alright to study at his house? Wouldn't it still count as intruding? What about his sister? Would she be fine with it? What if they would be bothering her? It was too late to go back now, and for once, she hated herself for her habit of automatically agreeing with everything Junko or Makoto said. "What do you need to buy anyways?"

"Well, I'm stocking up on food and snacks for the most part since my parents aren't here, and Komaru did ask me to get the latest edition of her girl's manga." Makoto said. "It's a block away from my house, and the bus stop isn't too far either. Don't worry, it's not that big of a detour."

"You still live quite a way from the school if I recall correctly." Mukuro said as they both left the classroom and started making their way out of the building.

"Yup. We're a normal family, so we don't live in the richer areas. Just your typical suburbs across the city." Makoto said. "It's not all that bad though, I have everything I need, and it's less congested than it is around here. The neighbours are nice too. They sometimes come over and help us cook whenever my parents are out."

"That sounds….. nice." Mukuro thought out loud, a tiny warm feeling within her. She haven't heard Makoto go off about any topic before, and the idea of him living in a peaceful neighbourhood did sound reassuring. However, that warm feeling was quickly replaced by a hollow one. Perhaps it's because she never understood the feeling of being in a peaceful house that she yearns for it.

"All the more reason I should show you around there. The peace and quiet is quite soothing when I take walks to the bus stop, and the air feels more refreshing than it does in the busier parts of town." Makoto continued.

"You make the richer areas pale in comparison the way you're making it out." Mukuro noted, a slight tinge of sadness in her voice.

"Well, I grew fond of the suburbs since I grew up like that. I mean, it's not bad out here as well. It's so lively, and there's tons of stuff to see and do around here. Where it's relaxing back near my area, there's just about everything you can ask for around here. So really, it's not too bad." Makoto said. "You know, I never asked but since we're on this topic, where do you live Ikusaba-san?"

"Junko and I live together in a normal house as well. While there's more than enough room for just the two of us, Junko still complains she doesn't have enough." Mukuro answered.

"A normal house? I would have thought you would live in a mansion or something." Makoto thought.

"I suppose that's a fair guess. Despite her fame, the modelling industry does pay nice, but not enough to sustain a huge property such as a mansion. Especially when Junko is also pulling around some strings so I can keep my hardware, and her strange needs as well. My income comes irregularly due to the fact that I only get paid if I got the job done. Well, it doesn't really matter anymore since I'm not taking any jobs right now. Anyways, since it's just Junko keeping the finances together, a normal house is really as much as we can get." Mukuro mechanically explained.

"Wow. I didn't know she worked so hard." Makoto said, very surprised of Junko carrying that much weight.

"Yeah. I really am a useless older sister." Mukuro nonchalantly said, dipping her head a bit in shame.

"Oh come on! You're not useless! You've proven that time and time again!" Makoto cried. Then his eyes shot wide as he looked ahead. "Oh no, the bu-ssswwaaahhhh?"

Makoto didn't finish his sentence as Mukuro instinctively grabbed him by the wrist and bolted forward. The bus ahead had just finished loading it's last passengers and the doors were just closing. For any normal person, they wouldn't have been able to reach the bus in time to convince the driver to take them too, but for Mukuro, it was a trivial thing. Closing twenty metres of distance in seconds, her fingerless gloved hand grabbed the door just before it closed, causing the driver to yelp in surprise.

"Sorry, just two more." Mukuro said, taking out Makoto's bus pass that she had swiped from his pocket, and her own. When she turned to give him back his bus pass, Makoto was completely out of breath and looked like he was about to collapse. She was immediately reminded that Makoto's physical abilities were on the average side. "Uh, hey, are you alright?" She asked, even though Makoto was only obviously winded. Mukuro bit the side of her lips as she visually reassessed him multiple times.

"Yeah…haaa…haa.. I just… haa… need a breather… haa…" He weakly replied in between his breaths. The bus was full so there weren't any seats for them, which left Makoto holding onto Mukuro's arm as he slowly recovered. Mukuro sighed in relief when she confirmed for the nth time that he was just winded.

"You know….haa.. maybe next time…. You can give a little warning?" Makoto said.

"I-I'm sorry. I just thought –"

"Hehe, don't worry about it. I'm just kidding. Thanks though. This bus doesn't come often so you did save a lot of time." Makoto smiled.

Mukuro looked away, hiding her smile from him. It was extremely difficult for her to not reciprocate the positivity that was radiating from him. Even more so, she couldn't figure out how to properly respond from the joke. It was the first time he ever made a joke with her. Though she had heard him made plenty of jokes with other classmates, experiencing it first hand was completely different, and she can't help but to smile.

The bus ride went on in silence. People passed by on and off the bus, with neither ultimates moving from their spot. It was a comfortable silence that they both lapsed into, something that always happened whenever Makoto spent time with Mukuro. It was a satisfying silence for Mukuro, but sometimes, she wouldn't mind if it was a bit more lively. She quickly found herself lost in thought as she pictured all the normal situations she can get herself in. It wasn't until she felt a tug on her sleeve that brought her back to her surroundings.

"Hey, our stop is here." Makoto said, tugging Mukuro's sleeve and moving towards the exit.

"O-Oh right." Mukuro stammered, following right behind. As soon as she left the bus, she was met with a light breeze, her uniform and her hair fluttered along the flow of air. In response, she immediately noticed the lack of tall buildings and busy traffic. The roads were smaller, and there were a lot more green in the area that brought around a strangely relaxing atmosphere. She instinctively took in a breath of air as another refreshing breeze blew by. It felt like she had stepped into a completely different world.

She looked up at the rustling leaves, captivated by the peaceful aura emanating from a nearby tree. Rays of sunlight pierced the small green canopy, giving shape to the all too familiar shadow that extended from the soldier. Mukuro naturally relaxed into the soothing atmosphere, the clean air revitalizing her. For once, she felt completely safe. It was safer than when she was around her entire squad in Fenrir, safer than how she felt when she finally got home, and holed herself up in her room full of weapons. Perhaps this was what she had missed her entire life: the feeling of peace.

" _So this is where he grew up? I can't imagine…"_ Mukuro thought to herself. She still can't make out why she's so relaxed. The open space and the normal surroundings screamed innocent at her. The happy chirping of the birds above reflected the hearts of those who inhabited the houses all around her. She couldn't help but smile as she caught side of a few children laughing and running around carelessly, as if they never knew of the word danger.

"Hey Ikusaba-san! The store is this way!" Makoto called out, motioning the other way with his arms.

"Ah, right. Sorry." Mukuro replied, making her way over.

Makoto blinked as he watched the soldier walk his way. He could have been imagining things, but Mukuro seemed different ever since she stepped off the bus. Her usual rigid strides now much more relaxed. It was strangely mesmerizing for Makoto as he tried to see the differences from the soldier. He was snapped out of it when she gently grabbed his arm.

"Come on, we'll be late if you stand there staring." Mukuro said with a softer tone than usual and a light smile.

Makoto didn't respond and simply let himself get pulled along. He looked down at his arm, it wasn't the usual grip of a soldier, but that of a girl's. Perhaps it's the fact that he has never considered looking at her this way, but the girl leading him right now is very different from the one he knew of at school. To the eyes of strangers, it seemed as if an older sister was leading her younger brother around, a completely normal sight for where they were.

The soldier turned around, and their eyes met. Both unsure of what to make out of that situation, Makoto offered his usual smile. Mukuro could only smile back in return. How long has it been since they have met each other? She smiled not because she was returning the gesture, but because of the fact that he was with her. How did they meet? Was it an accident that they had met? Mukuro smiled not because of his positivity, but because she was grateful. Why did they meet? Why did things turn out this way? The girl smiled not because he was the only one to treat her differently, but because he was able to show her things no one else was able to.

 **End Notes:**

Ok fellow authors and readers, it's been an extremely long time since my last work and almost a month since my last status update (on my profile). Here's what has happened since:

-School and work has been relentless since November. Winter break has been a nightmare with my work schedule

-Managed to marathon DR:V3 in 5 days. Completed that and everyone's FTEs. I also documented my thought process as I played the game on reddit. Here's the thread if anyone's interested in reading about my thoughts:

r/danganronpa/comments/7mjb3f/v3_documented_thought_process_spoilers_for_sure/

-Got roped into a Gaming Community, started to get involved in some minor development and community work there.

-Touhou 16 released on Steam, spent some time playing that

-Got roped into the Fate series, marathon'd Fate/Stay Night VN and Fate/Apocrypha (Didn't like the Protags too much, but the music is pretty bomb)

That's basically what happened to me since then. On top of that, I feel as if my spirit for writing has dwindled. It's not at the point where I'd consider retiring, but I only find myself writing if I can force myself to sit there and write. I'm constantly distracted by other thoughts while writing now, so it's very hard to even spend a full hour on writing proactively. Apparently, I also learned that setting deadlines for myself doesn't help so unfortunately, I can't trick myself into thinking "I need to finish this by X date since I said so" ): .

Anyways, self deprecation aside, I will be starting part two of this once I settle down into the new school semester as well as all my extra curricular stuff I'm involved in. I still have a larger work that has been suspended, but that will come after part two of this. I can only pray that I can motivate myself enough to write more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

 **I'll be completely honest, I completely forgot this existed until I checked my OneDrive and was like "oooooooh sh*t... that was a thing wasn't it..?". Its been such a long time since I touched this that I'm not sure if this second chapter was what I had originally planned, but I sure hope it is somewhat similar enough to it.**

 **Anyways, I guess it feels refreshing now that I don't immediately fall asleep upon opening Microsoft Word anymore. If anyone here follows Spirit Soldier's Class 78 Watches the Future story, you'll have an idea on what I was up to since my last update, but TL;DR, I marathon'd a ton of games and anime. And so, with that off, let's get this out of the way :)**

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 **Lost in Tranquility Chapter 2**

Mukuro was completely unprepared for what eventually happened when the two finally made it to the Naegi residence.

"I'm back!"

"Welcome home Onii-SaaaaAAAGGH! Oni-san has brought home a girl! Where's mom when I need her?!"

"Wha-What?! Don't get the wrong idea! She's here to tutor me! Tutor!"

"T-That's what they all say before you two start—"

"I'm telling you you're making a misunderstanding!"

As the exchange went on, Mukuro stood by the door, unsure of what kind of facial expression to make. The exchange has only went on for a mere ten seconds and yet, even Mukuro was starting to feel burdened by it. However, as she contemplated to clear things up, the Naegi siblings seemed to have already de-escalated the situation.

"So? Who is she?" Komaru asked, peeking around Makoto standing in the doorway who was half-obstructing her view.

"Like I said, she's my classmate from Hope's Peak. She's here to tutor me." Makoto said in a half-exasperated voice. He then turned his body halfway towards Mukuro to introduce here. "Komaru, this is Mukuro Ikusaba. Mukuro, this is my sister, Komaru Naegi." He spoke while gesturing with his hands towards each other.

In the moment it took Makoto to turn his body to the side, Mukuro took the chance to do a quick visual assessment over Komaru. In the span of less than a second, Mukuro had already determined her height, weight, potential strength, vitals and a myriad of other basic information. She was surprised that Komaru was a little bit stronger than Makoto, but aside from that, everything else about her was literally average. Makoto sure wasn't kidding when he said he came from an average family.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Mukuro Ikusaba." Mukuro said, reciting the prepared greeting she had mentally prepared prior to the meeting and giving a light bow in the process.

"Likewise! My name's Komaru Naegi! You can just call me Komaru!" Komaru happily replied while gesturing inside the house with one arm. "C'mon! Come in, no need to wait by the door!"

As Mukuro followed Makoto inside the house, she noted that it was a relatively average house. From where she stood in front of the door, there were stairs heading upstairs to the right, a living room on the left, the kitchen and dining room beyond the living room, and what she guessed was a washroom underneath the staircase. There was probably another room next to the dining room on the far side of the house, but it would be rude of her to explore the house without permission. Even as a soldier, Mukuro understood that much.

In terms of deco, it was mostly plain save for a few family pictures, some religious charms, and a couple potted plants. Although the house was more spacious than the apartment she shared with Junko, it wasn't big enough to allow wide movement like the living rooms of rich manors. She mentally made a note to herself that if she was ever to get in a fight within here, it would get really messy.

Despite its normality, Mukuro was still surprised by the "average-ness" of the house. Aside from Hope's Peak, her apartment, and the various safe houses and rich manors of the VIPs she has escorted in her military career, it was the first time where one can say that she has "entered a home". She was so entranced by such a simple and basic setting that she almost forgot she looked like she was spacing out.

"This is… quite a house." Mukuro commented in her moment of curiosity.

"Ah no, not really. It's a pretty normal house if I had to say." Makoto replied, putting his bag down.

"So…." Komaru's voice came from the other couch. "You're in Makoto's class, right? From Hope's Peak? What's your talent?" She asked with modest curiosity.

Mukuro internally grimaced at the one question she wanted to avoid answering. Each and every time she had answered this question, the results were always the same. Seeing that she should have saw this coming considering that Makoto often spoke of his sister and this is the first time they met, Mukuro could only resign to her fate of answering the question. However, Makoto sensing that this was potentially heading in a bad direction, tried to interject himself.

"Ah Komaru, look—"

"Ultimate Soldier, that is my talent."

As Makoto tried to salvage the situation, Mukuro gave her answer in the same way she had to everyone else that had asked the question.

"Ahh." Was the only verbal response that Komaru was able to make. Her mouth was hung open and her eyes widened as her brain processed what it meant to be a soldier.

Mukuro braced herself for the inevitable reaction that she has already received countless times from other people. She could already imagine the all too familiar face of fear and anxiety on Komaru's innocent face, and it pained her that it had to be Makoto's sister. After all, "Ultimate Soldier" doesn't exactly translate over as something nice. As Mukuro slowly watched Komaru's reaction grow, she internally considered clarifying soldier to something more innocent, but the only other thing she could think of was "mercenary." Mukuro could only stand where she was as if she were to receive a reprimanding from her commanding officer.

"Uh oh."

On the other hand, Makoto instantly recognized the reaction that Komaru was going to give. Though other people can't recognize it, he could already see the glint and sparkles behind her pupils. The fact that Komaru is still processing it means that she has completely missed the point. The last time Komaru had such a reaction, the resulting mess took a while to cleanup. Makoto had told himself that since then, he would do his best to take measures to avoid such trouble again, but clearly, he has failed that task today.

As the two finished their thoughts and resigned to the inevitable, Komaru visibly inhaled before letting loose.

"OH MY GOD. THAT IS AWESOME!" She cried at the top of her lungs, her voice stunning Mukuro and causing Makoto to sigh to himself as Komaru missed the point. In fact, Mukuro didn't even have time to formulate her thoughts as Komaru quickly closed in on her and continued her assault.

"You must have some secret moves right? Woooahh, do you use any secret weapons? C'mon! Teach me a secret move or something! And oh! What kind of bad guys have you fought? They must have had it coming haven't they? ….." Komaru threw out questions at Mukuro in rapid-fire fashion. For a normal person, Komaru showed no signs of running out of breath throughout her relentless but passionate "interview".

Mukuro, having already been put in a stupor from the different reaction from Komaru, was completely helpless against her onslaught of questions. She was so stunned that she hadn't reacted to Komaru gradually getting closer to her until Komaru had literally taken both her hands into her own and started shaking them with passion. Even then, she was unsure of how to deal with such an energetic individual.

"C'mon! C'mon! C'mon! Surely you can teach me something!" Komaru begged with sparkling eyes. If Junko were to see her like this, she'd make a comment about a puppy and a guard dog. Suddenly, in the midst of Komaru's begging, she heard the sound of the flat impact of paper and a cry of pain right in front of her. Slowly coming back to her senses, she realized that Makoto had hit her with a generic girls manga that he had purchased from the convenience store earlier.

"Ok that's enough. You're being quite rude to our guest here." He lightly chastised her while also handing her the book.

"Oooh wooaah! Is that the latest volume? You're the best Makoto!" Komaru took the book and made her way upstairs. Just before she disappeared into her room however, she peeked back out and looked at Mukuro.

"By the way, you should still teach me something sometime! Makoto is a huge bully!" She said before closing the door.

"Am not!" Makoto cried back from the sofa. Sighing from the somewhat rude behaviour of his sister, he finally took the time to address the issue.

"By the way, sorry about that. Ever since she found out Sayaka was a classmate, she'd been ecstatic to see everyone else from my class." Makoto apologized while also explaining the situation.

"I… can imagine that." Mukuro responded. If she can barely deal with one person like this, she couldn't imagine how Sayaka deals with all of her fans on a daily basis. She doesn't even know how Junko deals with her fans since there's seldom times that Mukuro would be with Junko while she's on the job. Mukuro hoped that she wouldn't meet anymore fans like this lest they find out she's a pretty hopeless person.

"By the way, would you like something to eat? I've got some snacks and ice cream in the fridge." Makoto offered.

"I'm fine, thank you. Besides, I don't think you have the time to afford that anyways." Mukuro replied back with a smirk, returning to the original plans of her coming over. Upon hearing those words, Makoto reacted as though he was stabbed through the stomach.

"Haah… I guess you're right." He resigned with a slightly gloomy face. Mukuro gave a tiny smile of sympathy as even she shared the sentiment that sometimes, homework is boring.

The two moved to Makoto's room where once again, Mukuro seemed captivated. The simple and plain room was a stark contrast to that of Junko's and her own. There was a small single bed and an alarm clock on top of a small dresser in the corner, a small bookcase filled with assorted novels, manga, and a small number of magazines in another corner. His desk sat beneath the only window in his room and next to the bookcase, while a sliding closet was present at the foot of his bed. There was almost nothing worth noting in the room except for a small framed family picture on the window sill and an autographed poster of Sayaka Maizono hanging on one of the walls.

Makoto noticed her look and quickly explained: "Ah that? Sayaka was quite adamant that I take it, and I uh, didn't have anywhere else to put it so there it is."

"Oh I see. Do you visit her concerts often?" Mukuro asked.

"Eeeh, it's more like I accompany Komaru since she's the one who wants to go, but I do enjoy it from time to time too. Have you ever gone to one?" Makoto fired back with a question as we prepared a seat for both himself and Mukuro.

"No, although I have heard a couple of her performances on the radio." Mukuro replied, taking out her books and notes. "Alright, let's get this started."

Makoto sighed in response, not entirely motivated, but still complied as he had to get through his studies somehow. Picking up where his notes started trailing off, the two quickly entered a comfortable pace of studying. Makoto was quite frankly surprised at how well Mukuro was able to explain and articulate the important points despite her usual quiet nature. He absentmindedly let out a small smile, knowing that there was probably more to her than she lets on.

The next couple hours flew by really quickly. Rays of dusk pierced into the small room between the blinders, providing little extra light to the already dim setting. The sight of two young kids working together would have made anyone reminiscence their student days. Some would think the two were siblings, some would think otherwise. However, regardless of who saw them through the window, the conclusion was the same.

For the first time ever, Makoto felt like time flew by really fast during the study session. He was surprisingly able to make an entire day's progress in just a couple hours, which he thought was an astonishing feat itself. Feeling the fatigue starting to set in, Makoto leaned back into his chair for a quick stretch, but immediately froze as his back made contact with the backrest.

"Ah."

"Uh…"

He never realized it until just now, but Mukuro's face was practically next to his. Sure, Makoto's been in enough accidents where Mukuro had to rescue him time and time again, but somehow, it felt very different this time. The moment of realization was just a split second, but in that moment, it felt like an entire minute. Before the inevitable embarrassment that would shock him back into the world, Makoto felt as though he turn his head and look at her, maybe even feel her. Maybe it was his imagination, since it never happened, but there was a desire.

The embarrassment finally hit him and his cheeks immediately flushed red. Makoto would've instinctively jolted forward were it not for the hand on his opposite shoulder holding him there.

"W-Wha—"

Makoto couldn't comprehend what was going on as Mukuro's hand on his shoulder slipped down, and her other arm came around his neck in a soft embrace. He knew that this was a very out-of-character move from Mukuro, yet he didn't try to fight it. His heart started racing from all the things he's feeling right now, and yet his body relaxed into the embrace from behind. Makoto felt as though his senses went into overload. In the moment, he felt everything. Her strong but soft arms just lightly dangling on his chest, her face hovering right next to his, her hair softly brushing his, her scent enveloping around him, and her soft breathing echoed into his ears.

The just lively private lesson suddenly turned quiet as the sun disappeared over the horizon, leaving a faint orange glow in the room. It was warm. It felt like lukewarm water boiling. A comfortable temperature in which water should never boil at, and yet everything felt like it was going to burst. It was both awkward and comforting at the same time. Both of them wanted to break away from how unnatural it feels, and yet both of them wanted to stay like this because it felt warm. Both their hearts were racing, and yet their breaths were soft and relaxed. The tension and pressure kept building up within the two as they tried to preserve the embrace, but eventually, one of them will give in.

Makoto eventually took a deep breath in preparation to finally say something. As his shoulders gently rose and fell, he could feel the slightest twitch from Mukuro's arms around him. He couldn't see her face, nor did he have the courage to turn his head over, but he could imagine that she didn't want to let go. He couldn't fathom why she was doing this, but he couldn't complain about it since he also just gave in to it.

"Nee, Makoto." Mukuro softly spoke. As her words broke the comfortable silence, Makoto felt as though the tiniest movement would end it all. His shoulders rose slightly in response to her calling, but no words came out of his mouth.

"Can I ask you something?"

Makoto's heart skipped a beat at the question. Somehow, he had been expecting something like this, but having it thrown at him still made him feel unprepared for it. He felt happy, anxious, but also curious as to what Mukuro had to say in this situation.

"Mhm. What is it?" He replied. It was an automatic response, and it only filled him with more anxiety as Mukuro seemed to be taking her time with it.

"If.."

" _If….?"_

"If.. I ever found myself in trouble… would you come to my aid?"

Suddenly, Makoto felt all the anxiety from within him disappear. Although Mukuro couldn't see it, Makoto's lips had curved into a small smile.

" _What, that's it? That was all you're going to ask?"_ He thought to himself.

"Did you even need to ask that question?" Makoto softly replied back. As he spoke his words, he again, felt the slightest twitch from Mukuro's arms. In response, Makoto gently held her hands in his own as his smile grew bigger.

"Of course I would." He answered sincerely. He could feel all the tension flow out of Mukuro as he delivered his answer. Makoto had no idea what trouble she was referring to, and he was very confident that she was more than a thousand times as capable as him when it comes to handling trouble. But if there was something even she couldn't handle that she had to turn to him, his willingness to lend a hand to her would've been as normal as breathing.

"That's… good to hear… Very good." Mukuro mumbled as she relaxed herself and lowered her body closer to his.

"Can I ask?" Makoto inquired, still curious as to what made her ask this question.

"I'm sure you'll find out one day… for now… let's just stay like this a while longer.." Mukuro replied, her soft voice slowly transitioning to a whisper at the end. Although Makoto still had no idea why she was doing this, he closed his eyes and just decided to let the moment live itself out.

Of course, as his luck would have it, it didn't last another ten seconds. Suddenly, his door was flung open and a furious Komaru stood outside his rom.

"WAGH! What the.. Komaru?! When did you—"

"DON'T YOU WAAAGH ME! LOOK AT THE TIME! I'M STARVING AND ALL YOU'RE DOING IS JUST FLIRTING IN HERE!"

"F-FLIRT? T-THAT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"

"Flirt?"

"OH MY GOOODDD! HOW CAN YOU EVEN ASK THAT WHEN YOU'RE SITTING LIKE THAT!"

"Sitting?"

Makoto turned around and was immediately amazed at how fast Mukuro had repositioned herself to sitting in the chair Makoto had brought into the room earlier. In fact, he realized his books were all open again and in his right hand was the pen he had been using earlier.

" _T-That's definitely some amazing agility there…. She could definitely qualify as a ninja…"_ Makoto thought to himself. " _Nice save…."_

"YOU TOTALLY HAVE THAT LOVEY DOVEY STUDY ATMOSPHERE SET UP LIKE A MANGA! WAAAAAGGHHH!" Komaru 'cried'. "After all this years…. How can you forsake your sister like this?"

"Ok ok I get it! I'll go make dinner right now! Just, get up from the floor now!" Makoto conceded, getting up from his chair. "Say Mukuro, why don't you join us? You're here anyways and it is a bit late."

"I'll take you up on your offer then." She replied with a small smile.

"uuuuu….. You better be making something good as punishment for forgetting me…." Komaru sulked as she dragged her feet down the stairs.

"Alright alright, I'll think of something. Just prepare the table before I'm finished ok?" Makoto soothed as he went after her, Mukuro quietly following him.

" _Is this what the Naegi residence is usually like?"_ Mukuro wondered to herself after having experienced it firsthand. Although Junko was pretty lively herself, she was on a completely different scale compared to the Naegi siblings. In addition, if there was another thing aside from interpersonal skills that Makoto was decent at, it would be his cooking as it seems that this is not his first time.

" _I might be able to get used to this."_ She smiled, a sense of excitement and warm anticipation growing within her as she descended the stairs towards the living room. Another lively night awaited the Naegi household, and little did they know, that they would be having an extra member for many other nights to come.

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 **Final Notes:**

 **So again, I'm not sure if this second chapter lines up exactly with what I had in mind since... April I think? (my last update on this story) But I do know that I was looking for simple cute stuff. I also feel like it's a bit shorter than my usual standard per chapter so I hope it's ok. Man, I feel like I'm so rusty with my vocabulary and stuff now, I should try to get back onto this some more.**

 **And for my next work? I tabbed into the Sayaka ship tags and noticed that it is very very inactive (at least, recently). I knew Sayaka wasn't too popular to begin with, but the lack of pure Sayaka stories is starting to get to criminally low levels so, I think I'll try my hand at Sayaka next (There is a surprising amount of Sayaka and Mukuro though O: ) Sayaka is a good girl, she just wanted to protect everyone she loves... except that she loves some people more than others.**

 **Also just to go off topic a bit here, I also noticed that there's been a surge of "big stories" rather than the usual 1-3 chapter stories. I wonder what's up with that huh. (Nothing against them, just surprising to see)**


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